May 29, 2024, Day 4 of Week 9

Daily Dose of Hope

May 29, 2024

Day 4 of Week 9

Scripture:  Numbers 3-5; Hebrews 12

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements New Hope Church’s Bible reading plan.  Let’s get right into our Scripture for today.

Our first two chapters in Numbers we read this morning are about counting Levites, those who will help the priests and care for the tabernacle.  For the most part, this seems pretty straightforward.  However, chapter 5 is a bit bizarre.  Or is it just me?  It’s about purity in the camp.  So far, this sounds okay.  Anyone with skin diseases has to go outside the camp so as not to spread the disease.  Got it.  But then, we have this test for purity of wives.  If a husband suspects his wife has been unfaithful or is simply jealous, then he can send her to the priests to undergo a ritual. 

This all seems pretty one-sided.  Are women being singled out here?  What about the guys?  We know this is a patriarchal society but aren’t God’s laws supposed to be just.  Remember, when something doesn’t sit well, it’s time to do more research and digging. 

What we read about in Numbers 5 is a trial by ordeal.  Many ancient cultures have rituals that depend upon God protecting people who are innocent.  In the cultures surrounding the Israelites, women could be executed for almost anything.  They would have absurd trial by ordeal rituals where there was absolutely no way the woman could be found innocent, not unsimilar to the Salem witch trial women who had no chance at being exonerated. 

But God’s law really was intended to provide a fair chance for women.  The accuser, the man, was the one with all the cultural power but he still couldn’t decide the consequences for his wife.  Rather, he had to submit to another, the priest, who stood in protection of the wife and her guilt or innocence was decided through this ritual in which only God could decide.  Simple jealousy or an arbitrary accusation was not going to do it.  God provided the ultimate decision and this meant it was going to be fair.

Now, let’s move on to Hebrews 12.  We talked about this Scripture on Sunday when we were talking about the value of remembering.  The first two verses read like this, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

If you recall from yesterday’s reading, Hebrews 11, the author gives us a wonderful list of people who are commended by God for their faith. It is a catalogue of men and women, named and unnamed, that stand as witnesses to lives that honored the Lord – the author reminds us of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob, these huge OT figures, they were the hall of fame of faith. 

The author is saying that these people, as well as other unnamed believers, are called "a great cloud of witnesses," and indeed their lives demonstrate a trust in God that stands as a wonderful testimony to the faithfulness of God in their lives, and a great encouragement for us to run the race that lies before us and press forward as we keep our eyes on Jesus.  These are the people who paved the way for us; their story is our story.  They persevered through adversity and hardship.  They provide this amazing example of faith. 

The author of Hebrews describes our Christian journey as a race.  I don’t know how many of you have run races.  I talked about this on Sunday.  I used to run races.  During a race, you hit all kinds of obstacles.  It’s usually hot and it never fails, there is usually some body part hurting on race day – or you get a cramp or you have to use the bathroom – and you have to just push through.  Think about the finish line – don’t drop out and don’t even think about quitting.

As believers, our lives are going to be filled with all kinds of stuff.  We are going to have great things, triumphs, joys, but we are also going to have struggles and sorrows.  There will be times when our faith will feel flimsy.  We are going to deal with illness and death, relationship problems, loneliness, anxiety, physical pain…you get the idea.  People will hurt our feelings.  All of these things have a way of making the race more difficult.  There are times we might want to quit, to stop coming to church, to drop out of faith all together.  The author is saying.  Don’t do it.  Remember those who came before you. It wasn’t easy for them either.  And you have Jesus.  Fix your eyes on him!  Don’t forget where you’ve been and who got you there.  You belong to Jesus.  Hold of tightly to that truth.

How are you doing holding tightly to this truth? 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki